The Toronto Raptors added a single player at the NBA Trade Deadline, Trayce Jackson-Davis. If they are forced to rely on him in the playoffs, they can kiss their hopes of winning a series goodbye.
To say the Raptors had a quiet trade deadline is not to accuse them of being passive. They spent the weeks leading into the deadline calling up countless NBA teams, trying to find a taker for Jakob Poeltl and a buy-low trade for an upgrade to the roster. They kicked the boots on everyone from Anthony Davis and Domantas Sabonis to Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Ultimately, however, the big swing did not materialize. Instead, they moved some money around by dumping Ochai Agbaji on the Brooklyn Nets and taking on the minimum contract of Chris Paul, who promptly retired. The only player they added to the roster in the end, therefore, was Trayce Jackson-Davis.
The Raptors trade for Trayce Jackson-Davis
The former second-round pick of the Golden State Warriors out of Indiana, Jackson-Davis showed some verve as a rebounder and play finisher and carved out a spot in the rotation as a rookie. Over the ensuring two seasons, however, his grip on the rotation loosened, and by the deadline he was largely superfluous to what the Warriors were trying to accomplish.
With Jakob Poeltl injured and Colin Murray-Boyles a rookie with raw offensive skills, it made some sense to shore up the center position by adding a low-cost option. To his credit, Jackson-Davis arrived in Toronto and put up a handful of strong outings.
From there, however, things have gone steeply downhill.
Jackson-Davis is offering the Raptors a whole lot of nothing
Ideally, the Raptors do not have to play Jackson-Davis at all, as he is their "5th big" in the rotation behind Poeltl, Murray-Boyles, Sandro Mamukelashvili and All-Star Scottie Barnes. If everyone is healthy, "TJD" doesn't need to even see the court.
Unfortunately for Toronto, they have not all been healthy, whether because of moderate injuries or late-season resting strategies. That has forced Jackson-Davis isn't action - and the results have not been pretty.
In his last 10 appearances dating back into February, Jackson-Davis has scored a grand total of seven points, a nonexistent offensive entity when he takes the court. Far be it to call him a defensive specialist, however, as he likewise has just one steal and two blocks total in those 10 games as well.
When Jackson-Davis does shoot, he's hitting just 33 percent from the field (3-for-9, easy math there). Getting fouled doesn't help, as he is 1-for-8 from the free-throw striple. Four assists total don't speak to some hidden talent passing the ball, either.
Plus-minus numbers are dangerous to trust in a small sample size, but they certainly line up with the stats and the eye test. The Raptors have been outscored by 32 points in his 56 minutes with the Raptors, including an abysmal -15 in just seven minutes in his last outing - against the "C" team of the Utah Jazz, no less.
Raptors fans should be terrified
This is a scary reality because the Raptors haven't suddenly solved their availability problems at the center position. Colin Murray-Boyles just returned from a thumb sprain he re-aggravated and kept him out for 11 games; that could pop back up at any point. Poeltl is hardly any healthier, questionable on the current report with a recurring back injury.
There is a very real possibility that the Raptors will need to turn to Trayce Jackson-Davis in the playoffs. That prospect must be terrifying given what he has provided to the team over the last six weeks. Perhaps he finds his groove - or perhaps he is an abject disaster and loses them a game. If he cannot survive against Jazz players on 10-day contracts, how is he going to survive against Jarrett Allen or Mitchell Robinson or Bam Adebayo in the playoffs?
Nothing about his time in Toronto should make Raptors fans feel good about having him on the roster .